Former Georgia national park employee pleads guilty to stealing federal funds

ROME, Ga. - A former maintenance employee at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has pleaded guilty to theft of government funds after submitting false overtime entries, federal prosecutors said.

What we know:

Donny Campbell, 48, of Ringgold, admitted to claiming hundreds of hours of overtime he did not work while employed by the National Park Service. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the false timesheets spanned from January 2017 through June 2019 and resulted in nearly $40,000 in improper payments.

"Federal employees are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money," U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. "When they abuse that trust, it diminishes public confidence that those dollars are spent appropriately." As part of the plea agreement, Campbell agreed to resign, never seek future federal employment, and pay full restitution to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

What's next:

Campbell pleaded guilty on Oct. 2, 2025. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 23, 2026, before John H. Rains IV. The case was investigated by the Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General.